Home⇛International Journal of Transformative Multidisciplinary Studies⇛vol. 2 no. 2 (2026)

Assessment of Technical Competencies and Professional Readiness among BIT-FT Student Interns for School Year 2025-2026: Bridging the Gap Between Academe and the Food Industry

Annie Capin

Discipline: Education

 

Abstract:

1 Aurora State College of Technology, Philippines * anniecapin@ascot. edu.ph Volume 2, Issue 2, June 2026 This study providess a comparative analysis of the technical and soft skills perceived by student interns and those observed by supervisors. The aim was to assess the synchronization of the Bachelor of Industrial Technology (BIT) curriculum with the operational requirements of the food manufacturing industry. Using a mixed-methods research approach, data were collected from graduating interns and their respective industry supervisors to identify potential competency gaps. For Technical Competencies-including Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), HACCP, Sanitation and Safety, Industrial Skills, and Equipment Operation-mean differences ranged from +0.84 to +1.09 on a 5-point scale, all statistically significant (p<0.05p<0.05 to p<0.01p<0.01, Mann- Whitney U). Students rated themselves near ceiling (grand mean = 4.64 "strongly prepared), while supervisors assigned moderate scores (grand mean = 3.87- "prepared"). In contrast, Soft/Behavioral Competencies - Communication & Coordination, Adaptation & Problem Solving - showed smaller, non-significant gaps (p > 0.10), indicating closer rater alignment. Only Ethics & Industrial Professionalism yielded a significant but modest difference (+0.50 + 0.50, p = 0.04). The largest discrepancy occurred in Sanitation and Safety (+1.09 + 1.09, p = 0.002). Findings suggest a systematic overconfidence bias in technical self-perception, potentially reflecting a curriculum-practice gap where greater academic training emphasizes minimum Technical Competencies and Professional Readiness, IJTMS, 2 (2), 844-863, 2026 845 1.



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